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Explore Quincy’s Rich Cultural Heritage… 4/11 New date

Join the Squantum Community Association for a chat with historian Bob Damon, who will share highlights from a heritage study he is conducting for the City of Quincy in advance of the Quincy 400 celebrations. Quincy has an incredibly rich stock of historical cultural capital, and Mr. Damon has been taking a closer look at the Quincy buildings, structures, and sites that have been identified as having importance at a national level, including sites in Squantum such as Squaw Rock. Mr. Damon will share with us the details of this exciting project and will lead a discussion about cultural capital, the ‘historical ecosystem,’ and the ways in which we value heritage here in Quincy.

New date: Wednesday, April 11
First Church of Squantum
164 Bellevue Rd, Squantum, MA (map)

Quincy is a city with a long and significant history. That history has been accumulated in layers over the centuries as the city has evolved from a colonial town to a center of American revolutionary thought and action, to a thriving shipbuilding and granite quarrying center, and now into a thriving suburban center. Throughout these eras, diverse groups of people have left a vibrant cultural, economic, and historical legacy, the remains of which can be found in the many physical structures and sites that connect us to these rich layers of the past. Examples include the remains of the Winthrop Iron Furnace, the Adams houses, the granite quarries, remaining structures from the era of the Fore River Shipyard, and the native American sites Moswetuset Hummock and Passanagesset.

Long-term care, management, and use are important parts of the larger heritage ecosystem surrounding any historic asset. By taking a careful look at the current preservation and management contexts of the City’s most prominent sites, we have the opportunity to learn how those sites are doing, what we can do to support them more effectively, and how to support the City’s historic heritage more broadly in the future.

About the speaker
Bob Damon is a public historian and independent museum professional. As a former public high school history teacher and non-profit manager, Bob is passionate about the role that historical, cultural and educational institutions play in shaping our understanding of ourselves and of important places in our communities. His work is focused on historic heritage programming and heritage resource management that integrates museum-based best practices with educational and psychological research about learning, meaning-making, and historical thinking.

Bob is the Director of the History and Visitors Program at the Church of the Presidents, United First Parish Church in Quincy Center, and runs The PastWorks, a consulting firm working with clients inside and outside of the traditional museum field who are passionate about their histories and cultural assets.

About the Squantum Community AssociationThe Squantum Community Association provides programming that fosters conversation and community with a focus on topics of interest to the Squantum and Quincy communities, highlighting local talent and history.